Caregiving Research Wins Accolades for TC Student

The
caregiving process and the well-being of family caregivers have been
among the most frequently investigated gerontological topics. Despite
the fact that family caregiving occurs in the context of a
long-standing and emotionally laden relationship, much of the research
has overlooked interpersonal factors.

That isn't the case with
Laura K. Nisco. She is a scholar whose passion for her research is
borne out of her own relationship with her mother and the caregiving
role she undertook after her mother's untimely death.

Nisco
received her doctorate from TC in Clinical Psychology in 1998 and is a
practicing psychotherapist at the Brooklyn Center for Psychotherapy.
She is also a Postdoctoral Research Associate who is working with
Professor Elizabeth Midlarsky at the College's Center for Lifespan and
Aging Studies. Both scholars are collaborating on issues relating to
caregivers, their well-being, and their interpersonal relationships.

The
Gerontological Society of America's Social Science Section selected
Nisco as the winner of its 1998 Dissertation Award. The American
Psychological Association's Adult Development and Aging Division
followed up with a July, 1999, accolade for the "best entry in the
completed postdoctoral research category."

Nisco's dissertation
and postdoctoral work, The Well-Being of Daughters Caring for Elderly
Mothers: The Role of Attachment Style and Relationship Quality, looked
at the impact of the long-term relationship between mother and daughter
on caregiver well-being in 118 middle-aged women providing care for
their frail, elderly mothers.

Very much at ease with herself,
Nisco spoke about how she developed an interest in caregiving and how
it affected her research. Nisco, who lost her mother at the age of 15
and was the oldest girl in the family, says, "I felt like it was my
responsibility to take on my mother's role in some way and to fill the
gap that my mother's death had created. The caregiving role made me
aware of the relationship issues in taking on a role like that."

For
Nisco the most significant factor in her research revolved around the
early relationship between mother and daughter. As she explains, "It
seemed to me that that would be important in determining how the
caregiver would feel right now in the present. That is what 'attachment
theory' tells us."

Nisco, defines "attachment" as an on-going
relationship throughout the life span. The quality of that tie predicts
a number of the outcomes in later life, according to the researcher.
"And so it was my thought," Nisco relates, "that attachment style would
also predict caregiving outcomes-an area that was totally unexplored at
the time I began my research."

Nisco distributed a detailed
questionnaire to a sample of 118 middle-aged women who spent at least
ten hours a week caring for their mothers and asked them about their
caregiving experience and about their relationship with their mothers.
"There were three particular things that I was focused on: the
attachment style of the caregiver-what is their pattern of relating to
others; the recollections or perceptions of early caregiving history in
which the mother was the caregiver; and third, what are the perceptions
of current conflict between the caregivers and their mothers."

"What
I hypothesized," Nisco, explained, "was that these three factors would
predict how well the caregiver is functioning-their levels of stress,
their levels of depression, and how burdened and satisfied they felt in
the caregiver role."

"I expected that if there was a secure
attachment style, less conflict in the present, and if there were more
positive memories of the past relationship, there would be better
well-being. And those hypotheses were borne out," she said.

Nisco
reflects on the implications of the research as more and more people
take on caregiving roles. "It is important for a caregiver to look at
the relationship with the parent and to acknowledge the positives and
negatives about it. What is most important is to come to terms with
some of the ways that the parent may not have met their expectations
and to think clearly about present realities. Letting go of the past is
the first step toward positive well-being."